Starting the New Year means planning to live a healthier lifestyle for many.
However, restrictive diets and drastic changes often make them hard to stick to meaning that many fall off the wagon before the first month of the year is up.
The third week in January is when you are most likely to ditch they New Year diet, a study has found.
New data from nutritional experts Muscle Food found that sticking to certain rules can help you keep track of your diet without ditching the food you love.
Tweaking your lifestyle a little bit at a time can make it easier to reach those long term health and fitness goals with the data revealing staying with a plan for longer than four weeks means you are 80 per likely to keep up with the positive changes.
Importantly, experts say cutting out all of your favourite foods may actually have a negative impact on your diet.
Being restrictive can lead to unhealthy habits in the long run - such as binge eating.
Instead, experts advise allowing yourself to eat the foods you love - whether it be chocolate or pizza - in moderation as it will actually help you stay on track.
Ordering your favourite takeaway on a Saturday night in won't derail your long term plan, as long as it is part of a balanced diet.
There are a number of other tips that can help you change you diet habits for the better.
Laura Belshaw, Brand Manager at Muscle Food said: "Many of us put on the pressure to change our diets in the New Year but cutting out large food groups or drastically increasing your calorie deficit can lead to harmful habits and unhealthy relationships with food so it's not surprising many of us fail to make it to the end of January.
"When we cut out foods this often causes us to crave them more and leads to the inevitable ‘diet drop day’ in which we cave in and give it all up. Instead following a smaller calorie deficit and a more balanced diet results in a long-term lifestyle change and is ultimately a more reliable way to reach our goals
"If a plan is sustainable enough to stick to for four weeks, it's indicative that it is sustainable enough to follow long term and ultimately make those health and fitness goals achievable."
Ways to keep on track with a healthy lifestyle
- Stay away from fads
Tom Bennett, Development Chef at Muscle Food said: "Over the decades we have seen hundreds of diet ‘fads’ which promise a quick and easy way to lose weight.
"Often they involve cutting out food groups such as carbs which are vital in a balanced diet .
"These fads are often difficult to stick to and end up leaving us defeated so it’s best to stick to a nutritionally balanced and fulfilling diet."
- Stick to a meal plan
Meal plans take away the stress of having to decide which recipes you might want to make and are a great option if you aren't sure how to make changes to your current diet.
Tom added: "Meal plans do all the hard work for you as a nutritionist has already made sure you have all the nutrients you need and will have calculated your calorie intake.
"They are also a great option if you’re a busy person or need to fit your meals around family life as there's no need to plan, shop or even cook if you don't have the time.
"Often lack of time can be a major factor in why people struggle with changing their diet as many quicker options such as takeaways make it hard to stay in a calorie deficit."
- Take is slow
Although you might be excited and impatient to start your new lifestyle and see the results, doing too much too quickly could be setting you up for failure.
Tom suggests making it a gradual process and said: "Often we see clients change everything overnight. They start a restrictive diet, follow a new fitness regime, increase their step count and throw themselves into it headfirst.
"Whilst moving more is an important step in changing your lifestyle try changing one thing at a time and focus on your balanced eating first and gradually increasing your activity or you may exhaust yourself within the first two weeks and find it impossible to maintain".
- Consistency is key
Finally, remember that changing your lifestyle is all about being consistent.
Consistency is key to seeing the results you want - it won’t happen overnight.
Following a balanced diet and enjoying everything in moderation will allow you to maintain a healthier lifestyle and make being consistent easier.
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